Valkacis
by Sangfly
Summary: “Andrés?” I whispered. My throat was sore from screaming. It ached and felt like fire was lacing through my blood. Andrés didn’t reply, and when I moved something brushed against my shoulder. His jaw, I realized. There was a heaviness pressing down on my
1. preface

Velna Zuzka looked out the back window of her mother's dark sedan as the capital city of Riga pulled further and further away from her vision. That was a year ago. Now, living on the banks of the Gauja River, Velna celebrated her fifteenth birthday alone. She sat, knees drawn up to her chest, on a section of rock that jetted out from the side of the bluff's edge over the dark mirror of water. Sandy blonde tresses curled around her ears, cropped short to keep itself from her golden eyes.

Velna waited, sitting silently, for the sun to dip behind the arch the trees created in the distance. The fall air nipped at her, pulling at the clothes protecting her tender flesh, but she never rose from her perch to head back to her home. It was one of the rules she had been given.



Mama Reggie, her grandmother the grey and aged Regina, had pulled Velna aside that evening of the family's celebration. Velna's entire family, aunts and uncles included, lived with her and her mother in their strip of hotel-like lodges that they rented out to hikers occasionally. The party had consisted of a bonfire, a large meal, and her brother Bendiks wrestling with their cousins.

Rihards, an older boy her uncle Mihails had brought to their home with his petite wife Aija, sat lazily in an arm chair as Mama Reggie led Velna into the foyer of the largest of the lodges. Mihails, tall and dark, stood behind Rihards with a steely gaze as Velna's mother, Laima, rushed forward to embrace her daughter.

"You'll be fine," her short, quivering mother muttered into Velna's shoulder. Laima always seemed to shake. Stocky and shy, Laima wasn't always the best caretaker for Velna's outspoken charm. Unlike her mother, Velna was fitted for her personality, tall and vibrant rather than short and pale.

Mama Reggie pulled Velna's mother away, giving her a scolding look. Laima ducked her head, taking a few shallow steps back. Everyone in their family, with the exception of Mihails, listened to Mama with out question. Velna herself was one with them on that.

Turning to Velna, Mama gave her rules that were very precise and very clear, almost as if they had been written down on the palm of her hand for memory. "Vel, when the sun dips below the horizon and the sky transfers into the blue hour strip from your clothes. Hide them, bury them if that is what you think is necessary. Be sure that no on is at liberty to find them."

Velna had opened her mouth, but Mama shook her head and she quieted. "There is a tree you must find, tall with its top grown into the earth. Find it and go under the tree." Laima quietly moved forward again, a wolf skin in her hands. She passed it to Mama before retreating again, head dropped and hair pushed back from her neck. Mama presented the fur to Velna. "It'll be cold. Wrap yourself in this. When the night gets to its coldest sing the lullaby to keep yourself occupied. You remember the lullaby?"

Velna took the pelt, murmuring the words to the old song her mother would sing to her before bed. Mama Reggie nodded. "Go, you know plenty-ah teika to keep yourself entertained." She hugged Velna. "Don't come home early. Wait out the night Vel."



Velna slid a sharp stone between her index and thumb, looking out at the water as the sky turned a darker shade of blue. She had wanted to ask why she needed to remain outside for the night with the forest's wolves, why she needed to do so unclothed, but she kept silent. All the others had done this at some point, usually during their own birthday. Velna was no exception. Now she rose to her feet, dropping the sharp rock and climbing back up the side of the bluff.

Once her feet were solidly on the ground Velna frowned, brows furrowing. How was she to find this tree? If it even existed! She had been wandering through these woods for the past twelve months with her cousins and brother, but never once had she seen a tree with both trunk and branches in the earth.

And so, not having a place to even begin, Velna began walking. It wasn't more than an hour of steady pacing that she did, indeed, run into a tree that was of a different kind entirely. It reminded her of a weeping willow, it's branched pulled down creating an arch. But, unlike a willow tree, the branches were hard, knotting into dry earth.

Looking at the deformed tree sent shivers through her. Weren't plants supposed to move towards the sunlight? This tree was trying to burry itself away from it!

Ignoring her silly fear, Velna kicked off her muddy sneakers and quickly pulled off the rest of her clothing just as Mama Reggie had instructed. Bundling them up she shivered as she looked around for a place to put them. The distorted tree stood alone, no shrubs of even forage to decorate the hard dirt floor under her bare feet. Bending down to her knees she tore at the grown with her fingers, nails tearing as they caught on rocks. The ground was dry and hard to remove, but eventually she created a whole large enough to hold her clothing and the knapsack she had brought.

Tucking the clothing tightly into the whole Velna pulled her knapsack to her side. With gentle fingers she pulled out the wolf skin, wrapping it around her trembling body. Warmth filled her tight muscles instantly and she buried the bag with the rest of her things.

Velna quickly took cover under the branches of the arching tree, wrapped snuggly in the wolf fur. The grey and brown pelt tickled her nose as she curled up in a tight ball, thinking back to what Mama Reggie had told her. It had all seemed difficult at first, finding a single tree in the middle of a woodland full of them, but it was rather quiet simple. It had seemed as if her instinct had led her to the location.

"Spirits from the deep, who never sleep, be kind to me. Spirits of the grave, without a soul to save, be kind to me. Spirits of the trees, that grow upon the leas, be kind to me. Spirits of the air, foul and black, not fair, be kind to me. Spirits of the dead, that glide with noiseless tread, be kind to me…."

It wasn't a song for little kids to sing on the playground, Velna learned that early in life. It wasn't a song that a mother should sing to her infant child, yet Velna would throw tantrums if she didn't get the chance to listen to it. She played hand games with her brother while singing it, replacing Patty Cake with Spirits Be Kind. Her cousins parents sang it to them, Mama Reggie sang it while she cooked. It was tradition in their family for the children to be taught the Spirits song, just like it was tradition for the youth to spend the night in the woodland.

A shudder rode up her spine; tightening her muscles and making her hair stand on end. Velna pulled her knees to herself tighter, her stomach cramping suddenly. Tears stung her eyes as a bolt of pain shot down her thighs, straight to the bone, and she moaned. The moan turned into a yelp, then a scream as something cracked and broke. Her body began to convulse, her bones rippling and straining.

Rolling so she was on her hands and knees Velna tried to wait the pain out, but it only intensified. Gasping in the cold night air Velna looked down at her hands, teeth cutting into her lip as she bit it. Her head spun as she watched her nails grow long and hard, her fingers buckling and then curling as her palm extended, stretching her skin like it was rubber. The fine gold hair on her arms grew, darkened, and became coarse against her flushed flesh. She yelped as she felt her spine pop and suddenly it was just too much effort. Falling forward Velna hit the ground, mind rendering her in a sleep-like state as the change continued.



Velna was roused to a large black dog at her side. She was frozen, shock taking hold on her. The wolf before her was huge. From the end of his long, white washed snout to the end of his tail he was over six feet long. Velna could sense the thick muscled hidden by his fur as the wolf shifted forward. She stumbled back and lost her balance, realizing her center of balance had changed.

Turning her head she felt as fur brushed against fur and saw that she no longer stood on hairless legs, but four powerful and slender limbs that ended with paws marked with sharp claws. Velna stood before the black wolf, a wolf herself with grey fur blended with a ruddy brown.

Velna's tail curled between her hind legs, her ears pressing against her skull. Dropping her head forward she thought about running. She felt the muscled in her new legs flex agreeably to the thought and she spun, ready to bolt back to the river.

The black wolf grinned, lips curling back from his teeth. Velna was slow on all fours, not used to the change, and he cut her off quickly. She tried to dart past him, but the wolf stuck out his paw and caught her between her front legs. Heaving his body the wolf threw her back in front of him where he took a dominant pose over her.

The gesture sparked a memory of an older man catching her when she was little and throwing her over his shoulder. With slight disbelief Velna looked up at her uncle Mihails, meeting unfamiliar yellow eyes.

Yelps broke through the air as more wolves pressed past Mihails. Velna stumbled back, surprised as wolves smaller than both her and Mihails leapt at her. At first she cringed away from them, ears flat, till she was able to recognize them as her cousins and brother. They wrestled with one another as if they still were human, just using teeth and claws.

Velna could recognize her aunt Aija, small and frail standing at the furthest tree from the group, curled tightly in a ball as Mihails approached her. Velna detangled herself from the other young wolves when she saw her mother standing with Mama Reggie in their own wolf skins, the rest of the family curled around them. She approached them slowly, taking in the picture. It was easy to tell the person from the wolf, the fur didn't cover their expression, and male from female. Though the males seemed to have at least thirty pounds more to them than the females Velna was still larger than most of them. When she stood before her mother Laima her mother looked as though she was just a pup.

Laima stepped forward, lifting her head high to nuzzle against Velna's neck, licking her daughter's new fur. Again, Laima was forced to step back as Mama Reggie moved forward. Her wolf skin depicted her looks in her human skin, more grey in her coat then brown. Hard, yellow eyes scanned Velna before Mama's black lips pulled back and she ducked her head to Velna. Mama Regina, who normally stood at the same height as Velna, was, like all the other females, smaller than Velna. Velna didn't like how Mama turned her head while she still had it bowed, exposing her neck to her grandchild.

Others moved forward after that, cuddling and nipping at her ears affectionately as they gave her reassuring growls. They all past her with grey and brown coats of fur, matching hers own, and bowed their heads as Mama had done. One, however, was a pale grey touched by not ruddy brown but a dark blue-black cap that ran down his back. Velna recognized him as Rihards as he approached her, tail up like a flag pole behind him. Unlike the others he didn't duck his head when he greeted her; rather he wrapped his jaws around her neck and bit down softly.

When Velna snarled it came from deep in her throat. Pulling her head to the side, Rihards didn't let go. She twisted, turning herself swiftly to twine them together. When the opportunity presented itself, Velna sank her teeth into Rihards' pelt just at the base of his spine. The grip on her neck loosened before she was completely released. Rihards yipped at her bite.

Rihards skipped around her in a circle, turning back and forth and diving to nip at her hind legs. Velna snarled, barring her sharp and white fangs. In a too quick motion, she struck Rihards again in the hind. With a yelp, he fell back a bit. That lit a spark in Velna, a powerful feeling growing in her breast. Following after him, she caught his shoulders under her paw and dragged him to the ground.

Rihards rolled onto his back, shamelessly presenting his stomach to her. Staring at him, Velna watched as his tongue lazily lulled from the side of his muzzle. His ribs rose and fell with happy, exited breaths. Velna stepped over him, lowering her head to snap at his presented stomach threateningly. Rihards remained still, but Velna's ears picked up the thump of his tail beating the packed dirt.

Is he enjoying this? she asked herself silently.

He whined when she nipped at the pink skin where little hair covered, beginning to wiggle. Velna pressed a paw to his ribs, dominating him to stop. He did, and Velna looked up when the others began to howl. She saw her mother, watching her from Mama Reggie's side, her tail rigid behind her. By the perk in her ears, Velna could see Laima's interest with the situation.

Velna pulled away from Rihards, seeing the others were interested too. What is going on? Her mind asked in confusion. Why does this feel so right? But looking around at the pack of wolves, her family, Velna realized why. They've always been like this. The others, they all changed on their birthdays.

Taking a step towards the group, further way from Rihards, Velna lowered her muzzle to Mama Reggie. Her dominance over the others was very clear to her and Velna slowly rolled onto her back, displaying herself to the pack.

They howled their pride.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one

I hadn't thought that the change could bring on so many new things, but it was inevitable. Within the first three days of my life as a member of the Gauja River pack, I learned that my family was not technically my family. Not completely. I had always thought that my father was Brigita's third son and the family just rode out on that belief. Brigita and her husband Vilhelms never treated me as their grandchild like Regina did, but they never spoke against my belief. Their children; Janis, Ludvigs, Georgst, and Beatriset were kind to me. Their children—who I had believed to be cousins of mine—didn't say anything against me.

But that didn't make them family. All but for my grandparents, lone uncle and aunt, mother, and brother were members of an old broken clan from the Dobele District. When Brigita's _real_ third son was killed, the fault of a frightened hunter a few decades back, Mama Reggie offered them a membership of sorts to our clan. The Dobele District clan was already large from recruiting others from a weak pack in the Talsi District who used to run in the Slïere National Park. After interacting with the other clan, four left the park to mate with the members of the Dobele District. Eduard, Emilija, Zuza, and Vilis all moved in with Brigita's clan, then with ours. With them they brought Nikolajis, Ludis, Kristaps, Toms, and Gabriels. They are my sort-of-cousins. In reality, I have no cousins.

Pawpaw Teodor's old clan died off after a human saw one shape shifting in town. It was a quick death for most of them, but when they set the woods on fire the others suffocated. When he met Mama Reggie before she was alpha female, he was a battered wolf. He still does not talk much.

My uncle Mihails mated with Aija from a southern pack. He, however, was sterile. The clan was not expecting any pups from the two of them, so when Mihails came to the front lodge with a grey pup in his teeth you could imagine uproar. Rihards was just an addition to my adoptive cousins.

I took all of the pack's admissions in what they considered a 'very helpful' way. Brigita, who was normally cold towards me, even looked slightly saddened when I was told my father Peteris died in a fight for dominance when Foster-Uncle Vilis lost his temper. For a moment it looked as though she was remorsful for her son's short fuss, but her pale face had gone blank once more when Laima began to cry.

That night, after all was told, Bendiks walked with me outside the lodges as we made our way to the one closest to the sandstone cliffs. It was our favorite, just in the right spot for the east wind to blow through the windows. It was almost like our own home inside a house itself. "I seriously cried when they first told me," he admitted. "Poor Dad and Uncle Vilis."

I was shocked to hear him call Vilis his uncle. "You still consider them _family_?"

"Well, of course." He shrugged. "I grew up with Vilis' kid. Gabriels is just as short tempered, you know. Beatriset does her best to keep them calm, but she's only one person. We all still need one another. We're still a family, kinda. Don't you think?"

I licked my lips, the humidity in the air instantly warming them. "A foster-family, maybe. I don't know." I looked up at the Harvest moon, a laugh suddenly catching in my throat. "Hey, are we suddenly going to grow fangs because of the full moon?"

"Psh, that's a load of crap. Just myth."

I looked to him, giggling helplessly. "Bendiks," he stared back at me. "You're a load of crap."

By the time he thought to lunge at me, I had already run ahead.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two

It was a year, maybe less, before I began leading the hunts by myself. Regina was getting too old and I knew the area better than the others, so the job was mine. I didn't mind, however. Running at the head of the pack was nice, you saw everything first. I learned the next year in October that the deer and little ground creatures that scrambled about at night were easier to track and chace. Sometimes I went alone, hunting until morning and not coming back till late in the afternoon. When I did, usually I had managed to gain a good layer of mud and grit. With one look, Mama would point to the stairs. "Vanna. Tīrs."

_Bathroom. Clean._

Winter rose over quickly and covered the ground with snow. I was just sixteen, cold, with nothing to kill. The evenings became daunting easily. Even the boy's silly antics, snowball fights, and Zuza's cooking couldn't cheer me up. I hadn't been to school since the end of my first year of high school and it was surprising how much I missed it. There had always been something to do, and I wasn't trapped with only males my age.

"We can go into Lïgatne," Toms offered, playing with a strand of his over grown, cornflower hair. He and Kristaps were splayed over the couch in the main lodge. I was laying on the floor, Nikolajis' head on my stomach, with Ludis and Bendiks laying at my sides. Gabriels leaned on the back of the couch, over Toms and Kristaps. "It's not that far away. We can just shed our skins and run."

"Than we can get home by dark and have Auntie Janis spank you for coming up with the idea in the first place." Nikolajis' entire head seemed to vibrate when he spoke and I laughed at the feeling rather than his words. The older boy sat up. "Alright. Let's go."

"Velna, you're the fastest. Go run for Rihards." Ludis smirked when I glowered at him.

"What?" a lofty voice cut through the air. "You don't want me to come, Velna? Ouch."

Turning around, Rihards was standing in the door with a smug set to his face. Snow clung to his black hoodie, making the _The Avenger_ skull look more like a melted Frosty the Snowman. Walking through the entry way, he kicked his hiking boots out on the wooden paneled floor to get rid of the snow. He was wearing Uncle Mihails' jeans again, a pair that were way too big on him. They rode low on his hip bones and showed off what he called his _cut_—the shadow between his hip and ads. Seeing me looking, his face became even smugger, which was strangely possible.

"Aizvērties." _Shut up_, I snapped at him, getting up to grab my boots. Like the others, they were worn from miles of walking. Putting them on was pointless, but I grabbed my torn and ragged knap sack and stuck them in there for when I changed back. Pulling off my socks then slipping from my pants, I added them to the growing bag. "Chances are you just are going to scare the crap out of some poor human."

"They like it." He began to undress himself as well, like me and the others. Each had a bag, something with straps that would easily rest around our necks. Rihards, however, was the only one who watched me.

"Would you stop that for a moment at least?" Bendiks snapped when he noticed. "When you stare at her like that—Meža vīrs, I'm glad I was born a boy."

My face reddened, almost a cherry color. "What? I'm sure you would enjoy having boobs." I snapped back at him, quickly yanking away the last scrap of cloth. The change had already started; my skin loosening and bones extending or buckling depending on the regain. As my spine lengthened, I fell forward onto hands and knees.

"I would," Rihards chuckled before it turned to a howl. He took the least time to morph, enjoying the feeling less than I did. After the first few transitions, shifting forms became almost as pleasant as a massage. But I didn't dwell on the feeling long, to anxious to leave the lodge for once. I hadn't seen humans for months and the town normally was packed with them. Once my change had become complete, I launched myself out the open door, ready to lead the pack. When Rihards caught up I let him run at my side. He didn't pass, he never did. It seemed, almost, like he wasn't allowed to.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter three

There weren't as many humans as there had been the last time we had gone to Lïgatne during the summer. Fewer tourists lingered in the streets, but we still passed the usual bunch of locals. They all smelt so sweet, their skins perfumed with the weak musk of sweat. When a man in a leather coat brushed past me, the mixture of the dead skin and his own flesh was enough to make my mouth water. "We should stop by the recreational park around here." I suggested, knowing the others would understand. The smell of flesh must be making them hungry, too.

"Right," Toms and Nikolajs nodded in unison, creating a funny picture of two twins. If their sire Eduards was standing with them, they all would look like triplets. The two twins didn't inherit any of their looks from their dark haired mother Janis.

Occasionally, the town seemed perfectly normal. However, I felt something severely wrong. The air was not right, too powdery and sweet even with the populous of humans. The smell wasn't human, but it wasn't animal. The others noticed it as well, their noses twitching to catch the scent, but they continued with their exploration of the town.

"Want anything?" Ludis, the youngest boy in our pack at age seventeen, asked me with a glance at a near by café. I shook my head and he and the others left to get their warm drinks. Looking at them, it was hard to imagine drinking the human's treats. No matter where we hunted, I would prefer blood to anything.

Wandering around a bit by myself, I found a small souvenir shop. In the front window display sat small wolf figurines with coats like the ones me and my pack downed. Behind the statues, there was a painting. Sandstone cliffs mounted the edge of a river made of shimmering glass, The Gauja. Looking closer, I made out two figures swimming through the un-rippled surface.

Two wolves.

Curiosity made me open the glass front door to the small shop, causing the welcome bell to chime. A man at the counter greeted me, but I didn't reply instantly. Along the walls sat more paintings of The Gauja River and its surrounding cliffs. One picture in particular caught my eye above the others. A ring of wolves, all baying and grinning, leaped back and forth at one another. They all wore the same ruddy brown coats, but for one. A large, blue-black male with grey on the belly sat next to an equally large wolf with the common brown coat. His head was turned, biting the other's ear gently.

That's Rihards, my stomach dropped. And that's—that's me.

"A local artist paints them all." The man working the counter was staring at me, obviously wondering if I needed medical help. "I've asked him before to paint something from the town, but he seems to have a love affair with those wolves."

"Oh," I managed to look at him. He didn't seem to find any similarities between my golden eyes and the wolf's yellow. "They're very beautiful. It's too bad he won't paint in this area. The landscape here is amazing."

The man, somewhere in his late forties, leaned over the counter to get a better look at me. Instantly, I felt myself go ridged. "I haven't seen you around here before. It's pretty late in the season for tourists."

"Not if they've come for the snow itself." My smile was brittle, but he seemed to buy it. "Actually, my family and I live a little ways from here. We own those lodges by the river, tucked in the forest. The ones that some of the tourists use when they underestimate the terrain."

"Ah," he nodded in understanding. "Bērziņš family, right? It's a big pack of you up there."

You have no idea. "Actually, Bērziņš is my grandmother Regina's name. She runs the place with the help of my mother and uncle."

Again, he nodded. "Well, Andrés, the boy who's been making these pictures for me, has been trespassing on your grandmother's land quite a bit lately. That one you were just looking at, the wolf pack lives up there you know. He loves them. We even have post cards with their pictures."

That turned my twisting stomach and settled it while my chest burned with anger. This Andrés could know about the pack, or he could have guessed. If he was had been watching us enough to get pictures, then he might have caught one of us shifting.

That's basically the same thing as watching a human change clothes, I thought with disgust. The pervert.

"Do you know where I can talk with Andrés? I know you kinda need him to make these paintings, but he'll need to talk with my grandmother before he goes to see the wolves again. If they—attack him on our property, we're not liable for his death."

The store clerk seemed a bit stunned, but he shook it off. "Of course you wouldn't be. Um, Andrés comes in around three today, but he may come early to help move some of the supplies around. If you wait that long, you'll be able to speak with him."

I smiled at him, trying my best to fit the picture of an innocent girl from the wild. It worked, and the man smiled back. "Thank you."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter four

I stayed in the shop for a long time, poking through the shelves, to avoid the snow outside. I felt the need to buy something, and picked out a hoodie with a wolf print on the front. It looked like my Foster-Uncle Georgst by the scar on his left ear. After the clerk rung up my item I slipped the hoodie over my head. The soft inner fuzz felt good on my bare arms and blocked off the air's chill.

I was staring at another painting of the pack when the bell rang. Thinking it was the human who was so interested with the pack, I turned quickly. Rihards smirked at me, brushing his wet hair back with his fingers. It had started snowing out, but I hadn't noticed while in the warm building. With a scowl, I turned back to the picture.

"Expecting someone else?" he asked, coming up from behind me. He looped his arms around my waist, nails already grown out into claws and pressing through the tightly knit fabric of my new hoodie.

"Maybe."

His hands moved down, under my huddie, and than back up. Roughly, he cupped both my breasts. "Who would that be?" he growled in the back of his throat. "The others already accept my claim."

"Keep wagging your tail, mutt." I snarled, but he only gripped me harder. To my shame, I liked it. That only made me strike back with my elbow. Rihards purred a positive. "Let me go before I castrate you."

But Rihards already pulled back, stepping away from me as the air buzzed with distant shouting. The clerk had left the store, he shouts jointing those coming from the store front. Following Rihards, I stepped back out into the snow to see Ludis being punched in the face by a pale skinned newcomer.

"Hey!" Nickoiajs shouted at the new boy. He moved forward, signaling to Rihards when he saw him. "Going for the youngest won't help you. Ludis, go stand with Velna."

"Rihards," I growled, but he didn't listen. Rather, he lopped over to Nikoiajs side when he realized they were going to gang up on the boy.

There was a girl, around my age, with the pale boy. The clerk stepped forward, gripping her arm, and pulled her away from the other youths. I couldn't help but think he was a smart man, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop the fight. "Into the shop, Reet," I heard him whisper to her. The girl nodded, headed over to where Ludis joined me.

When she walked by, I held out an arm and stopped her. Reet looked at me, a glint in her eyes saying she was prepared for a bitch fight. "I have nothing against you," I assured her, letting my arm fall. Her face calmed, believing me. "What happened? Ludis is the calmest out of our bunch. He wouldn't start anything."

Reet sighed. "I'm sorry, Andrés just causes too much trouble it seems. He wanted to follow your friends when they left the café and—well, he just dived into this when he saw that big one go in to get you."

"Andrés?" It was him. Reet was about to say something, but I was already two steps in the fight and out of ear shot. "Back down," I snarled, glaring at Kristaps and Gabriels. Gab began to shake, anger boiling under his skin. Kristaps got him in a headlock, giving me a look saying he wouldn't let him loose control.

Stepping forward, I grabbed Nikolajs ear and twisted. The boy yelped like a pup. "Niko, get back." It came out as an annoyed snarl. With a steely gaze at Rihards who was gripping Andrés' shirt front, I nodded to the sidelines. "You too."

"Make me." He shook the boy. Andrés drew back his fist and punched Rihards in the gut, making him howl and throw him against the building.

I took that moment to step forward and grip his arm. Extending my claws so they'd cut into his skin, I yanked the tallest and oldest male around. My teeth sharp, I planted a violent and bloody kiss on his unprepared mouth. When Rihards began to respond, I shoved him behind me with the other boys.

"Tease," he muttered, but the comment went with out response from my part. I was focused on Andrés who was casually dusting snow from his arms. With the power behind Rihards throw, both of the boy's arms should have been broken. Something wasn't right.

"Bendiks, get the others back home. I think Gabriels needs to get back to the lodge to cool off." To Bendiks, however, what I said came out as _he needs a run through the woods before anything else_. I didn't see his nod, but could hear the retreating steps. There was still the presence of a pack member behind me, however. One who was ejoying the taste of his own blood. "You too, Rihards. Go."

When nothing happened, I glared over my shoulder at him. He stood there stubornly for a moment, glaring back at me with golden eyes. My stare was heavier, however, and he eventually turned to follow the others at a lazy pace.

When I was sure I was the only wolf in the area, I turned on Andrés. "We need to talk. If you don't mind."

"I do."

"Tough."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter five

We decided to take our discussion away from what Andrés called _Juhan's Shop_. We ended up in the café Ludis had led the others to earlier, leaving Reet behind with Juhan. "You don't want anything?" he asked when the waitress left us. His dark eyes were staring openly at me, taking in my appearance. "It's rude to come in and not order."

"You ordered," I snapped, not interested in small talk. "That's enough business for them. Now, why did you attack my cousin?"

Andrés snorted. "He's not your cousin." I had expected a straight out answer, not some silly comment about bloodlines. I let out my breath heavily, blowing it in his face to annoy him. Andrés scowled at me. "You smell like dead rabbit."

"Do not!" I grunted when he chuckled. If I didn't calm down the locals would be staring at me as I broke out in a mad fit of barks. I tried not to gnash my teeth at Andrés, knowing they had grown a bit to the point, but all the same my lips pulled back to bare them. He was the only one to hear my low grumble over _Sugarcult_ as it played over the speaker system.

"Testy, aren't you? That's why you're matriarch over your mini pack."

That made me quiet a bit. "So you have seen us change. Your Juhan told me that you have been watching the wolves for some time."

"If I didn't, you wouldn't have such a sexy hoodie."

"This is my uncle, idiot. I wouldn't call him sexy."

"Not even as a wolf?"

"No." My annoyance returned. "Do you mind telling me why you attacked Ludis? That girl you were with said that you waited for Rihards to leave."

Andrés shrugged. "I didn't want to have to deal with the big one. I didn't know that you'd be able to call him off so quickly. Kinda a lap dog, isn't he?" I glowered at him to continue. "The little one, your Ludis I guess, seemed to be the easiest target. I figured if I took him down, the others would let him go and wait till I attacked larger. With more blood in the system, I could take the rest of our pack easily."

Blood in his system? "Oh, I'm sure you could," I rolled my eyes at that. "I still don't understand why you would want to kill us, however. Do you have a thing against—my kind?" It was so hard to say. Not only was he the first human boy I had talked to since moving, but he was the first to know of the pack.

Andrés shook his head. "Oh, I have nothing against the wolves. Some do, which is understandable, but you're all much too fun to kill. I'd just—prefer you to stay on your own land."

My brows rose. "Our land?" I asked. "So, do you consider this your territory? What do you plan to do if we choose to move in?"

"Kill you." He answered bluntly.

I smirked, I couldn't help in. "And how would a human manage that?"

Andrés laughed. "Well, I suppose they would try silver bullets first, but—" he fake yawned, flashing a pair of extended incisors. My spine buckled, threatening to start the change, when his sweet and powder-like breath hit my face. When he closed his mouth, my eyes were watering. That smell was surprisingly potent. "I think you get the idea."

He's—something. Not human. Not wolf.

"You know, I could say the same thing about you being on our land." I kept my voice calm and even, ignoring the anxiety in my gut. "One lone—thing," I didn't know what to call him, "is not going to be able to take on twenty-three wolves. I know your scent now; the others know it and are carrying it back to the pack. If I smell you and you are on our land, I won't stop the pack from taking your pelt." He didn't seem threatened, his black eyes meeting mine calmly. I upped the stakes. "With you out of the picture, we'll take Lïgatne. That's Reet and Juhan included."

Then his face showed a little shock. Apparently he hadn't known I knew his girls name. His face was stone again. "Reet can handle her own against you," he challenged.

So she's like you.

"Rihards and Gab like their toys." Andrés' eyes hardened. "It won't be me she'll have to handle. I'm saying this for your own good, Andrés. Stay away from our woods. Keep your paintings from around here."

He nodded curtly and I stood when his order came. With a smile to the waitress, I stepped out of the café. With a fleeting look back through the window, I got a quick glance of Andrés' face. He was baring his teeth, chest rising and falling as if he fought back a thundering growl. His brow was pulled down to create a deep U shape. When I blinked, the picture was gone. His fanged and terribly angry face was stone, completely contained as he took a bite from his food.

I think I pissed off a mad—monster.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter six

The pack was in an uproar for the first few weeks when they found out there was a boy who knew of us. I never mentioned that he was _possibly_ something more and let them believe that he was too weak to fight back. I never caught Andrés' powdery scent again on the wind, and memory of his soon lapsed as other more important sequences in life presented themselves. After the snow was completely melted away and the ground was turned to a marsh, Mama Reggie passed away. None of us were surprised when Paw Paw's wolf form was found by the banks, fur coated in blood from the fall over the bluffs. He was a sick man without my grandmother's care.

"I think Laima should be the next matriarch," Ludis said as our group lounged chin deep in the river. It was freezing and full of gunk, but it felt good after a long hunt and full belly. "She's Regina's daughter. It makes sense that she'd be next in line."

Bendik scoffed at the suggestion. "Mom would be dead in the first week. Auntie Aija would probably do better." The suggestion made us all laugh like we were drunk on moonbeams. Aija was in no way as dominant as Mama had been and was possibly even weaker than Laima. "If anyone should be machriarch, it should be Velna."

The others nodded at the overly spoken idea, smiling like with fang. I was becoming used to the thought, but my face still burned. Auntie Janis and Emilija liked the prospect of the alpha female remaining in the Bērziņš family while Zuza and Beatriset had no interest in anything to do with running the pack. That only left me, the only female pup.

"She's only sixteen," Rihards snorted. "It's silly to stay with the tradition now. Uncle Mihails is Regina's pup, too. He'd make a good leader. So would any of us." There was a spark in his eyes. A shimmering gold that wasn't their usual color and I didn't like it.

"Mihails has control issues," Kristaps argued. "Though, I like the thought of one of us ruling. How about that, Velna? You may still get to be alpha bitch."

I wrinkled my nose at the thought. "Like I would take any of you as a mate," I tugged at his brown hair teasingly. "That seriously _would _be like kissing your cousin."

"You have to choose someone," Toms pointed out. "It's not like you can go with a human meat-bag. How about Niko? He's been eyeing your tail since you got here." His twin got him in a headlock, pushing his face under the water. When Toms came back up he was sputtering and spitting out grey water. "It's true!" he coughed.

"I think we've all taken a peak at her," Rihards muttered. He smoothed the patch of hair on his chin. He looked at the brothers as though they were pups, too juvenile to be a real part of the pack. The urge to snap at him that last week he had behaved just the same with Gab was smothered when he shot me a look. "Honestly, it's not like we haven't seen it _all_, but Mihals has been pounding the thought of mating in our minds for the past six months."

"Making up for his own default," Ludis shrugged.

"That and mating season's starting soon," Bendiks reminded them. He looked thoroughly disgusted by where the boys had turned the conversation and changed it. I would thank him later for that. "Did you hear? An old, broken pack from up north is in the area. Our parents are talking over inviting them like we did with you all. More bitches in heat." He gave a lopsided smile. Maybe I wouldn't thank him.

"Another group?" they all seemed eager. "Where from?" Gab asked. If he was in wolf form his tail would have been wagging.

"They came from Estonia. Uncle Mihails said that they ran the area around Lake Peipus." Bendiks relayed all the information he had, giving deep details. I floated on my back, ignoring them as the sun warmed my skin. "They'll be here in a week or so I guess."

"Why are we letting them see we have no leader?" Rihards' voice was surprisingly angry. "They'll think our own pack is falling apart. They might go for the title of alpha!"

That comment made me sit up in the water. All the others were staring at Rihards in shock. "Geez, calm down," he glared at me. I glared back. "So what if they go for alpha? It may be a good thing. You weren't going to run the pack, anyway. Even if the others accepted the thought Mihails would never allow it."

"Who cares if he will or won't," he snarled. "You spoiled bitch. Just because you're related to the old matriarch does not mean you'll be her. Regina was the only reason none of us took you without letting you think weather or not you wanted a mate. The only thing that keeps us still is the other bitches. Blood silly, belly up whores think you should carry on the Bērziņš line."

"As if I would submit for the likes of you," I splashed water at his face. Rihards calmly wiped it away. "Or any of you, for that matter. I don't want to be the freaking matriarch. I don't want a mate."

Gab chuckled. "I don't think you're going to have much of a choice with either of those situations. If the pack picks you, it's decided, and in the end you'll have to choose out of one of us."

"Or one of the new wolves," Bendiks butted in. The others scowled at him, as if they hated the thought. The lowly bastards thought I was theirs already.

My feet slipping over the rocks, I climbed from the river. It wasn't exactly the most prideful thing, walking in front of a group of boys nude while they spoke of my personal life, but I didn't want to float in the water with them while they did so. Grabbing my knapsack, I threw it over my shoulder and began to scale the side of the bluff back up to the forest. From below, I heard Rihards comment, "Well, at least we can watch her walk away."

Growing out my nails I used them to get a better hold on the rock. It left me one free hand and the ability to flip them off before I made it to the ridge and pulled myself over.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Walking around the pines, seeing the new pinecones beginning to grow, I heard the sound of padding feet. It wasn't like the rumble of many paws when there was a hunt, but a muted crunch as two clothed feet hit the ground. I froze, wondering. Hunters were not allowed on our land for their own good as well as the pack's, and the others usually went bare through the forest or at least barefoot. Gripping my knapsack tighter, I peered around for the intruder.

The air suddenly turned powdery and too sweet. My lungs choked, filling with the odor. I began sneezing, eyes tearing till it was difficult to see. My throat closing, I could no longer breathe.

"You know," a familiar voice murmured over my gasping. I tired to look at who it was, but my eyes only swirled with a mixture of pastel colors. "This whole choking thing, it makes it easier to sneak up on you."

Then I could suddenly breathe again, the odor slowly evaporating from the air. It was like it was sucked away by a vacuum. After one, final cough I blinked away the last of my tears and looked at the man in front of me. "Andrés!"

"So I'm remembered," his black eyes showed amusement. "I thought I would receive a welcome involving claws and fang, not—well, skin."

I glowered at him. "You picked a very wrong time to show up, meat-bag. I'm not in the mood and our pack's on high alert for a new scent. Another group is headed this way."

He leaned back against a tree, crossing his arms over his chest. I smelt blood on his shirt. Animal blood. "Oh really? Anyone special?"

"Just a broken clan we might have merge with ours. More jumped up mutts who don't know what's good for them."

Andrés raised dark brows. "That's a very friendly statement. Tell me, what's made you so bitter?"

"Mating season."

That seemed to be the only thing he needed to hear. "Oh, and you're not having any luck." He chuckled when I snarled at him. "Ah, _too much_ luck I suppose."

"I'm the only female." I pulled my knapsack in front of my torso and pulled out the hoodie I had gotten the day of Andrés' and the pack's fight. It was the only thing I owned without holes from roaming paws. Slipping it on, I felt better and less exposed in front of the non-wolf-man. "Well, the only available one. I think some of the guys would have a problem with mating their aunts. I think that's one of the reasons the elders are so willing to have this new pack."

"And a reason why you'd rather they leave?"

I sighed, running a hand through my soaked hair as a nervous habit. "Either way, I'm going to have to pick one of them. If all goes right with these new wolves, I might just leave. I miss Riga and school. The woods are great, but this is as developed as my life is going to get other than having pups. I don't even know if I want that."

"Perhaps it's one of those maternal things. You'll be content after your first—litter?"

"Is this your first time speaking with a wolf?" I asked sharply. "What're you doing here, anyway? I told you not to go in the woods again."

Andrés rubbed his hands on his jeans and I smelt it as blood smeared. Hmmm, fresh white tail. "I was painting," he reached back and pulled a canvas from where it was strapped to his back. Holding it out for me to see, I looked at the new painting of the river. Eight young kids created rivets in the water.

"You idiot!" I stared at him. "You—you can't sell that! We're all naked!"

"Who said I was going to sell it?" he snapped, putting it back into the carrier on his back. His eyes were sharp. "Sometimes I paint just to paint, not to sell. I only let Juhan use the wolf pictures."

A thunder grew in my gut. "I told you not to paint us anymore! I told you not to come here!"

"I didn't…for a while."

I grabbed his wrist, putting enough force that it would break a human. He didn't even flinch. "Show me your other paintings. Tell me what all you've seen."

I glared at him, waiting for his refusal. Andrés smiled, however. "Fine. I'll take you on a walk than, bitch. Show you the gallery."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

I was not used to using a car much. We only drove ours when my mother went out to the nearest town to get supplies, but I hadn't gone with her in years. Andrés drove some truck I couldn't name, something from the late fifties. The ride was a silent one, but at least it had been short. Soon, we pulled up to a building that resembled a soda can cut in half.

"Is this a barn?" I asked, stepping from the truck.

Andrés shot me a look. "It's my house."

I never thought of him living in a house. Maybe a shack, but not a house. He's seemed too much like an animal for the luxury. "Oh," was all I could say.

He led the way inside casually, kicking his shoes off after making it through the front door. Just entering the house, I could count three paintings. "Is—oh Meža vīrs! That's Rihards!" I blushed, looking away. It was one thing to see him in nothing but a human pelt, but to be looking at a picture of it was mortifying.

Andrés looked where I had. "Oh, you mean the big one. Yeah. I think that was after one of your hunts." He moved closer to the picture. "Your brother's in the background. He's your brother, right? He's got the same hair color."

"I don't want to see Bendiks' _stuff_! Or Rihards'!"

"You were just with them and their stuff," he said coolly, but I heard the amused tone.

"That's different." He snorted. "It is! When we're together we're the pack. The pack always sees each other in their skins. But now, when their not around, I don't need or want to see _them_."

"Than pick up your paws and let's go. There's more down stairs." I turned, hearing the sound of metal against metal. He was pushing open a tin door that led to a winding staircase. Behind that I only saw black.

"My feet are dirty," I made an excuse not to go when he stepped onto the first step. The thing moved, as if it was held together only by a few cords. "It was muddy out. I'll slip."

"No you won't," he glared at me. "Look, if you don't trust me than you shouldn't have come. I don't care if you get the floor dirty and I won't let you fall. One of the risks of having a werewolf in your house is that they get in trouble. Like a dog. I'm aware of that so come on."

I stepped forward, grabbing his shoulder as I stepped out onto the cool metal. The stairs moved under me, causing my stomach to fall. "I'm not a werewolf," I said, trying to sound calm. For the most part I succeeded till the next step. It swung out like the first and I squeaked, latching onto Andrés. "The proper term for it is a vilkacis."

"Oh, so you're a demon." I let my claws sink into the meat of his arm, but Andrés didn't flinch. The smell of his blood was overly sweet and I became dizzy, hunger cramping my gut. "I know what you are, I just thought you would prefer werewolf to vilkacis. You don't seem like a monster. Too weak," I clawed him again and again got no response but for warmth trickling between my fingers. "Wouldn't you rather be considered a shape shifter?"

"That is what we consider ourselves," I snapped. The urge to pull my hand back and lick his blood from my fingers was strong, but I suppressed it with the knowledge that my grip on him was the only thing keeping me from falling. Desperate, I tried to get the conversation away from what I was. It felt wrong, like I was betraying the pack, for him to know. "So, what are you? Don't be smart about it, either, so don't go and call yourself a painter." His shoulders shook as he laughed. I wrinkled my nose. "I smell blood on you."

"I do have blood," he retorted smartly, ignoring the fact that I already warned him not to be.

"It's on your shirt." He had nothing to say to that and it filled me with a sick pleasure. "What were you doing before you found me and the others to paint?"

"Your expecting me to tell you I was hunting, aren't you?" I nodded in the dark, not knowing if he could see it. Apparently he did. "I'm not going to. Calling it hunting would be a severe understatement. Animalistic frenzy, possibly, but for your sake, just keep believing I was hunting."

"All I care is that whatever you did took from our deer supply." The stairs continued to sway as I followed him. There seemed to be no end. "Our pack is big and getting bigger. We need all the game in the forest. There's not enough to shelter your hunger, too."

Andrés snorted and slipped from my grasp. Taking a nervous step forward I fell with a scream, but arms quickly caught and held me. Gasping, I thought we had reached the ground, but the falling feeling continued. "The thing's still alive, perfectly capable of breeding and making more." I ignored his mutter, focusing on the plunging feeling. Andrés was so damn calm! "When I hunt, when I get food, it's not for meat. Sure, I can eat it and sure it tastes alright, but that's never what I'm in the mood for."

Suddenly, the floor zoomed up. Andrés landed, holding me so I wouldn't touch the floor, but he knees didn't even buck on impact. It was like two stones colliding to meet one another, creating nothing but noise. With a loud slap, everything suddenly became still.

Looking around, I flicked my eyes to work through the shadows. There was no light source at all, only the cool smell of dirty concrete and the mirrors in my wolf eyes couldn't catch a thing. I was blind.

"Andrés?" I whispered. My throat was sore from screaming. It ached and felt like fire was lacing through my blood. Andrés didn't reply, and when I moved something brushed against my shoulder. His jaw, I realized. There was a heaviness pressing down on my head, a tug pulling my head to the side. When my neck twisted, pain shot up my spine, tangling in the nerves. "Damn! Shit, that freaking hurt. Andrés?"

There was sudden pain on the other side of my neck, than my shoulder, than my collarbone. That was when the smell hit me. Blood, my blood, thickened the air. Andrés wouldn't answer me, wouldn't put me down, and I was bleeding out. I pushed on his shoulders, trying to pull back, but that only made the ache worsen. Moving closer to him helped, made the feeling bearable and my head stopped spinning. Something was on me, attached like a leach, sucking gently and quickly. It was under my hoodie, it had to be since I hadn't taken the thing off. The draw of a fleshy mouth, the lap of some wet muscle, and the smell of blood made my hunger growl in the pit of my stomach. Lifting my hand to my mouth, I sucked my fingers. Andrés' blood swirled with my saliva, cool and chokingly sweet. It was enough to satisfy any craving, and my eyes became slits.

But they flew open swiftly as I hit the floor. As I pulled myself up a panel was open to let light shine through and light the room. I was in some sort of basement, and that the light was coming from an open fireplace. Coughing at the sudden smoke, I turned around to see Andrés had opened the metal cage that had kept the light concealed.

My blood coated his front.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Andrés smiled, but his eyes flashed. "You don't taste like a dog, you know," he commented dryly, moving away from the fire's side and closer to me. He stopped a good few meters away, giving a nice gape between us. I looked down, staring at my front. There were puncture marks in my sweatshirt, small holes close together. Bite marks, I realized, they're from _his teeth_. My mind had then flashed with the memory of his lengthened fangs when he had showed them to me at the café. It made my stomach squirm. Blood trickled down my chest still, running to the inside of my thighs as it continued. Slipping down my calf, it pooled to the floor.

Andrés' hair was mussed. His muddy brown, cropped locks pressed down to his skull only to flare up on the other side. It was as if he had just woken up. There were pink stains on his cheeks, hands, and even the tip of his nose. Signs telling me where his face and been and what he had been doing.

My mouth wouldn't work for me. It was as if a magnate was holding my lips together, creating a mute out of me. I fought for control over my sudden and unreasonable fear, but it only made me more aware of how terrified I really was. Andrés continued to watch me. He was waiting for panicked realization from my part, or complete insanity. He didn't get either. My body was too stubborn it seemed to give him that satisfaction.

Instead, I hit the floor.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

I woke up to an actual ceiling over my head. Or, at least it was ceiling-like. It was just a metal sheet. I was lying on a bed. It wasn't much. It was small, no bigger than a twin, and covered with old and worn Superman bed sheets. I myself was too big for it and my feet hung over the edge.

When I swung my legs over the edge of the bed I froze. I was still only wearing the hoodie. No pants, no shirt, I didn't even have any underwear! Instantly I began chiding myself for my stupidity. I was an idiot for trusting Andrés. Not only had I known he was some sort of monster, but he was a boy. I had gone to a boy's house without even putting on pants! How ridiculous! Mama had always told me to be weary of males, especially the ones I didn't understand. "We know what they want," she had told me. "That's why we are the ones to stop them from getting it."

I stood, a little wobbly still, and looked around the room. It looked like it belonged to a pre-teen boy but for the broken kohl on the cement floor and the various sketches. There were comic books stacked in neat piles on the floor and books scattered willy-nilly. I had cringed, seeing a dirty pair of boxers on the floor. Ew. Andrés was a pig: a blood drinking, monster of a pig.

I had to be careful where I stepped. There were small chips of glass and metal on the floor, something used for some sort of craft he did. He's such I loser, I had reflected after looking around the room. I pushed through a stack of magazines and screeched in shock, seeing a naked man. He was a _gay_ loser. Not just a loser.

"You're up." I looked up then to see the Reet girl standing in the door. She smelt sweet and powdery just like Andrés. My mouth began to water and I swallowed hard, not liking the tightening of my stomach. It was like I was addicted to the taste of his blood already. I would never allow myself to taste it again.

"You've been out for a bit," Reet continued when I said nothing. She stepped into the room and noticed what I had been looking at. Some of the magazines had slipped to the floor, spreading out in a rainbow of bare flesh and baby oil. We stood there in silence. "Alright," she muttered, feeling awkward by the way she tugged her hair. It was a few shades lighter than Andrés brown. "Are you feeling better?"

I nodded, my neck stiff. "Just a little—a little surprised by it all, still."

Reet nodded her head. She pointed to the bed. "Sit back down," she offered. Her voice was light and thin, reminding me of a panting dog. She didn't sound like a person who could even bring herself to yelling. I nodded, sitting down.

Reet walked through the room with a grace that showed perfect balance. It was something I lacked, though it mattered little. Sure, I was the type of girl who scaled cliffs and stood as high in the trees as possible, but Reet seemed like she needed the extra balance more than I. She was willowy and thin, her hands small and frail. She had a small nose, thin lips, and large doe eyes the color of kohl. It made her face look unnaturally uneven in apportions. I watched the girl as she picked up a few magazines, made a grunting sound at the pictures, and stack them back up.

"I'd offer to let you wear some of my clothes," she murmured in a sweet voice, plopping down at my side, "but we're not exactly the same size. You're so _tall_."

I smiled at her. "I know. It must be from my father because both my mother and grandmother are shorties." Reet smiled at I noticed that she didn't have fangs. "Can you tell me something?" I asked slowly. She had nodded, completely willing to answer. "What is Andrés? I mean, I know he's some sort of monster, but what?"

"He's not a monster!" she chirped angrily. I was right. She wasn't the type to yell but she sure would snap. "We're wempti: vampires basically, but a little different in the sense that we can't drink an unlimited amount go blood from a victim. Andrés' past out from what he took from you and that stupid deer."

"He's past out?"

"Drunk, wasted, fucked or whatever you call it. I was the one who had to get you out of the basement. He was too messed up. Kept muttering about your dog meat," she shrugged. "Figures. Why are you here in the first place? My brother isn't the most social, if you haven't noticed."

In truth, I hadn't noticed. Andrés seemed natural enough, for a wempti or whatever he was. I was past that thought, though. I had been more astonished that Reet claimed that she brought me back upstairs. Surly I was too heavy. "He was going to show me the painting he's been making of my pack. He saw us today and I wanted to know what all he's seen."

Her eyes widened and Reet smiled. "Oh, I see. He's seen it all. So have I, but I'm not a good painter like he is. I can't even draw."

"You've seen use while we change?"

She nodded. "It looks so painful. Andrés likes to watch, but I normally look away. At first I wouldn't even look because you all were always naked, but Andrés said it was alright. That it wasn't even the real pack when you were in human skin. I got used to that, so maybe I'll get used to the change."

I had thought of the change. How could it possibly seem painful? It was the most relaxing thing in the world! The buckle of bones and hushed sigh of flexing muscle, the beautiful spine tingling burn that rode though my body every time I changed was far from painful.

They didn't care that they saw us naked. They didn't think we were monsters. They saw us change, but they hadn't told anyone. It all didn't seem right. I said as much to Reet. "You're just like us," she chirped. "Maybe not completely the same, but we are more like one another than the humans. I wouldn't want the whole world to find out I was anything but normal, or at least what _they_ consider normal. The humans, they don't like anything but normal."

I thought about the children I had gone to school with back at the capital. "That's not completely right." I shook my head with a smirk. "I used to go to school with humans. Some of them may actually be okay with us being abnormal. You know, most of the younger humans like things out of the ordinary. The mundane things they hate. Average isn't enough. It's almost like a disease to them, something they try to avoid like age. Vampires and werewolves may just turn into another silly trend."

We both laughed at the thought. Humans lined up before a clan of wemptis and vilkacis to beg to be bitten. I had never bitten a human in my life, and the thought of doing so amused me.

Reet and I got along well. It was a little odd making friends with her, though. Her brother was a vampire, she was a vampire, and I had no pants on. It was awkward, but Reet ignored it and acted as though we had known one another for years. She asked about the pack and my family. She asked about the old clan from the Dobele District and how we adopted them. That was when I told her about all my foster-cousins. The boys she had seen fighting Andrés.

"You live alone with all those boys? And you're the only girl?!" she asked in horror. "That must be horrible. I would never be able to live like that. Never ever!"

"You live with Andrés." I pointed out. "He's a boy."

Reet snorted. "Yeah, some boy right? He's my brother and he's gay. That's different than living with a group of boys who are _not_ related to you _or_ gay. They must see you naked all the time because of that change of yours. How can you stand it?"

I shrugged. "The pack holds no secrets."

Reet flashed a smiled. "Oh, no secrets? Than will you be telling them of your little visitor in the woods? Will they hear about me? I don't need you hooking me up, just so you know. I don't like my men furry."

I smirked at her. "Well, maybe there are some secrets. I don't plan to tell any of them about you, but, if I don't leave soon they'll find out on their own. They probably will follow my scent here. They're all fairly good at tracking, my foster-cousins I mean. They're barely adults in the pack, yet we're a good bunch of pups."

Reet sighed. "Well, than you better get going. The sun's about to set."

Something hard settled in my stomach. "What?" I jumped from the bed. "No, no! I'm leading a hunt tonight. It starts as soon as the last light falls from over the river and I still need to wash your scent from my skin!"

We stared at one another, both knowing we were too late. Someone was most likely already on the hunt for me. I could already hear paws hitting metal.

**Hehe, hi! I guess I have a trend of waiting for ten chapters to be posted before making a note…but whatev! Oh, did any of you thin that Vel and Andrés would be getting together? Well, tough. He's GAY! Hahahahaha…wait. None of you better be homophobic! That's so mean! Love is love, bitches. Or, I guess, lust is lust.**


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

By the time we got to the door Andrés was already in the doorway, wearing only a pair of boxers. "What the fuck," he muttered, stumbling back. I pushed Reet behind me as Bendiks and Rihards forced themselves into the house. At least they had mustered up enough decency to put on pants first.

Bendiks saw me standing before Reet and snapped. "You idiot. Do you realize how much shit you're in? Mom was looking for you. She's been worried sick for over an hour." I just glowered at him. Andrés lounged against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. I wondered weather or not either Rihards or Bendiks had seen the painting in the entryway.

When Reet looked out from behind me Rihards snarled. Her tinny hand clutched my shoulder. I shifted my eyes to him. "I was just leaving," I assured him, wiggling out of Reet's hold. When I did Rihards moved forward quickly to grab my arm. His nails punctured straight through my sweatshirt and into the soft muscle around my arm. I hissed, stomach cramping terribly as I smelt blood. It was not nearly as sweet as Andrés, but it pushed the hunger.

"You're leaving now," he grunted. I had yelped at he pulled me forward, my shoulder screaming. Bendiks grabbed my other arm, but not as hard. He pulled me along, letting my feet drag over the concrete floor. They stopped moving, however, when they got to the door. Andrés stood there still, not moving out of the way. Reet made a noise of panic when Rihards growled low in his throat.

Andrés stared at the boys of my pack lazily, lids heavy. "She hasn't seen the pictures yet," he commented. His lips were loose and slow. Bendiks shifted at my side. Andrés was looking at my brother, staring at him for long moments before looking to me. "You still want to see them?"

He was just trying to get me in trouble. Rihards' nails tore further into my skin. Andrés' nostrils flared and he glanced at the other boy. I drew his attention back to me. "Rain check?" I asked.

Andrés raised his brows but nodded all the same. When he stepped back from the door, moving outside, Bendiks let go of my arm to allow Rihards to drag me the rest of the way. I yanked at his grip, muttering that I could walk for myself. He didn't listen, but began the change while yanking his jeans down. Halfway through the transformation he was forced to let me go, dropping to all fours. I followed suit, looking over my shoulder. I turned just in time to see Bendiks shove Andrés shoulder hard and turn around. Andrés watched him closely as he changed, eyes trained on my brother's back.

Teeth closed around my neck. I didn't even try to shove Rihards back, but let him bite down. When blood began to soak my coat Rihards pulled back to lick it away. There was a growl in the back of his throat, one I had learned to dread. He was staking a claim again. Paw pressing down on the center of my back he tried to force me to my belly. I jumped back, knowing he'd just roll me onto my back if I held still. He snarled at me, lips curled up to expose his white teeth, but it was all he could do. I had already begun to run, leading the way back home.

**Short. Whatever. I'm just bored!**


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

I wasn't really an expert on punishment for teenage shape shifters, but I had known my mother's method was a little over the top. I wasn't allowed out of the main lodge, understandable, I wasn't allowed to lead or go on the hunts, sad but I could survive, but she added an additional thing. By the glint in Laima's eyes I could tell she had been waiting for a moment like this to come. All my jeans and sneakers would be replaced with what she considered proper clothing.

"Are you serious?" I asked when she showed me one of her favorite pieces. The skirt ended at the knee and was trimmed with a red ribbon the color of strawberries. The floral pattern up the dress was a sandy color that stood out against the solid black cloth. I had lifted it from her by the red spaghetti strap that was supposed to hold the cloth over my chest. It looked too thin and weak to do any good.

Laima glowered at me. "You might as well. The next time you change shape is harvest moon." I flinched at the threat. "Come on. It's pretty."

I didn't argue, what was the point? This was just part of the punishment. I didn't have any other clothing anyway that had no holes in them and Laima had spent a ton of money on a new wardrobe. It wasn't like she didn't have the extra money, though. Business was going great with the tourist season in full swing. People wanted to see the wolves and sometimes the boys would even pop around in their wolf skins just to rile up the humans. When they did Brigita usually snapped at them, but it went ignored by the boys.

I moped around the main lodge most of the time, talking with the visitors and listening to how their days went. They were interested in having someone new to talk with it seemed and what they had to say was usually interesting. I learned how to multiply by nine using a hand trick a little nine year old taught me and an elderly woman had shown me how to knit in a straight line. I got news from the capital I hadn't heard of for years and new stories to laugh at. I think it amused them how little I knew about the world, but they were always willing to tell me what they knew.

I was just talking with a man in his early thirties about his three children when the boys walked in. I flinched, seeing the man do the same when they let out a whirl wind of whistles. With a quick good-bye the man left, not finishing his statement from before. Niko fell onto the couch next to me, resting his head on my lap. Ludis tugged at my hair from behind the couch as others found their perches in the room.

"Looking spiffy today Vel," Niko muttered, tugging on the soft carmine lace around the bust of my baby doll dress. I swapped away his hand. Niko's hands had been too close to a private spot. When he complained I shoved him to the floor where he landed on his stomach.

"Your hair's grown," Gab noted, tugging on his own rutty blond hair. My hair was curling around my collarbone by then, let out of the usual ponytail.

I glowered at them. "What do you all what?" I directed my words to Bendiks. I was still angry with him for ratting me out to Laima.

"Mihails and Grandda Vilhelms are talking with the leader of the Estonian pack." Ludis' eyes were bright with excitement. "They'll all be here by the end of the day if it goes well. We've got lodges already set up for them."

Rihards leaned forward in the chair he had claimed and swatted the back of Ludis' head. "Your tails wagging," he grunted, face blank as the younger boy glared at him. Rihards still didn't look pleased that others would see we had no leader. "Calm down before you piss on Laima's rug."

They continued like that, going back and forth with comments and jittering with poorly contained excitement. Toms and I seemed to be the only ones bored by the others. Even Bendiks was growling like an impatient pup. Toms glared at his own brother, plainly sour. "You all were never this annoying when the Talsi pack visited," he grumbled.

Kristaps made a gagging sound. "They're related to us and it wasn't mating season then. _This _is different. We're going to get some real tail!"

"And Kristaps has had nineteen years without tail," Bendiks snorted. The brown haired boy threw a pillow at him.

Toms smirked. "What if two of you both want the same _tail_? What happens then?"

Kristaps and Bendiks shared a look before bursting out in a fit of, "It get her!" and "I'm older!" and "I'll fight for it!" It was at this point that Velna had enough. Silently she stood, leaving the main lounge to go up the stairs. The first door led to a small room with leather bound chairs. Books littered the walls in bookshelves, things they had picked up when visiting small local towns and things visitors left behind. They weren't really books, any of them. Just gossipy and scandalous beach reads. There were a few paper backs with a half naked human man on the front, covering himself where the goods got great. They were nothing but smutty steam reads for my aunts.

I had to smirk, remembering when my aunts had decided to try and freak me out by reading one out loud. In the end it had been my mother who demanded them to stop, her face beat read and her eyes clenched shut in horror. I was laughing the entire time, wondering who would possibly believe intercourse was that interesting.

I picked up a book labeled _The Book of Atrix Wolfe_. It was a fairly new addition to the growing library, but I placed it back on the shelf after reading the description. It was some story about a man who had changed into a wolf to avoid the world going back to find a princess who had managed to end up in the human world. Instead I pulled out another book that seemed more interesting. Flipping it open I read the first sentence I saw.

"You were what you believed yourself to be—"

That book was slammed back onto the shelf, a bit harsher than the first. The book was one of the disgusting yet enthralling sex books that my aunts jittered about. My mother couldn't stand them, saying they were unrealistic. They were and I favored them as little as she did.

There was nothing to do, nothing to read, and no one to talk to. I had sat down in one of the chairs, ungracefully crossing me legs. Hearing a slow clicking coming from the door I looked up to see Rihards standing there, drumming his nails on the wooden frame. He grinned when he knew my attention had been caught and stepped into the room.

"Jealous?" he asked. I could tell instantly that he was talking about the boy's attention in the new wolves. I shook my head. "Liar."

"It's all the same to me," I scoffed, looking away from him and out the window. It was really a shame to be locked away when the weather was so lovely. "With them here maybe Laima will let me go back to the city. The only reason they've kept me here is you guys."

Rihards gaze flicked to the ground for a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest, walking further into the room. "I've talked with your mother, Velna," he admitted. My stomach tightened. What had they been talking about me for? "She's not going to let you go. The pack still wants you. I want you."

I snorted. "There are other bitches, Rihards."

He glowered at me, eyes a pale yellow. It looked so wrong against his olive skin and blue-black hair, but still completely right. "That doesn't matter," he snarled. "You're stronger. You're a Bērziņš." He sucked on his lower lip, looking as though he regretted saying what he did.

I stood, trying to keep my face looking boarded with the conversation. "So this is because of my grandmother?" He didn't say anything, but there was that look in his eyes again. The one I had seen when we were in the river not long ago. "You think it'll help you gain credit with the pack, don't you?" I accused. "You think they'll accept you as leader if you're mated with a Bērziņš!"

"No," he growled, but it didn't' support his cause. I scoffed, not able to believe he would be so desperate.

"It won't work, you know. I don't want a mate as it is. You're barking up the wrong tree. Maybe my mother can help you. She's single, though you may have to deal with her sobbing over my father."

Rihards face suddenly became smooth and he smiled at me, his eyes almost sweet. A new tactic, I realized. He was going to butter it up. "We could be a pair, you know: equal leadership. We could make the pack even better, maybe gain some more ground. We can take Lïgatne," he added when he didn't see interest on my face. "I know that thing there attacked you."

My heart was suddenly in my throat. "Andrés?" I muttered and he nodded in confirmation.

"I smelt your dried blood allover. There were rips in your hoodie, too. You didn't give to him willingly. We can kill him. We can lead the pack together and rid the area of him."

My head began pounding. The thought of Andrés and Reet dead in the woods, their perfumed blood filling the air, made my stomach cramp. I shook my head, unable to force out any words. Maybe I just wanted friends, maybe I was growing faint-hearted, but I didn't want them dead. Rihards took a step closer, reaching out to rest a gentle hand on the side of my neck. He brushed over the skin there with his thumb before turning his hair to grab a patch of my hair.

"I really think we could work out, Vel," he murmured quietly, cutting through the golden curls with his fingernails. "Please just consider it?" I shook my head again, but he just moved till we were molded together. Thinking of the book I had held before I began to panic, thinking of all the corny and lustfully written scenes. "Please?" Rihards pressed, "I know we can be more than allies. You just are ignoring the attraction."

I glared at him the best I could, moving back a step. Rihards pulled his hand from my hair, wrapping both arms around me and pinning my arms. Panic turned to complete horror as he pressed us together. It didn't matter that I didn't want a mate or even a toy. It didn't matter that I didn't want Rihards. Other bitches would have surrendered by now and given into the male, but I couldn't.

No, my mind has hissed and my eyes began to burn. For a moment I thought I might cry. I don't want to. I don't want this.

His kiss was too rough, even for me. It was all teeth and tongue, capturing my mouth in a bloody rage. My ribs ached where they were crashed against his and his nails were cutting into my back. When I didn't respond Rihards pressed harder, his teeth tearing at my lip.

There was a howl outside, one signaling a group was coming in. It wasn't the low, throaty warning that said the visitor was human, but a happy cry of our kind. Rihards released me, pulling his claws from my back slowly. He licked the blood from his lips, wiping his nails on his jeans.

"They decided to join us," he muttered, stealing a glance at me. I backed up a little, seeing his eyes focus on my mouth. If he began licking the blood away I'd kill him, I was sure I would. But he reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. I followed, thinking nothing of it. I would have to greet them as part of the pack as it was.

When we made it to the stares I pulled my hand from Rihards', seeing the others in the lounge. They were looking up at us curiously and there were new scents coming from all over. The other wolves were already settling in.

_**Rawr! I growl at you b-i-a-t-c-h!**_


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

There were nine of them, all from the same family line of wolves. They looked rather pleased with themselves, though their clothes were ragged and hair in knots. They had come a long way while being chased by humans. They had lost two of their females, the leader's mate and a mother of three. The first thing I did upon seeing them was count the females. There were only three who had yet to be mated. The knowledge made my stomach turn. Out of seven other boys there would be some competition.

Rihards had stood behind me, making sure I actually went down the stairs to talk with them. Laima ushered a group of three young people to us as soon as she saw we had come down the stairs. "Is that a new lipstick, Hun?" she asked with slight annoyance. I wiped my mouth quickly, remembering the blood there.

"Sorry," Rihards said before I could. He smiled widely to Laima, and to my complete disbelief she grinned back at him eagerly. "We were just messing around. I didn't know they'd be here so soon." He held out a large hand to a boy Laima had led to us. He was tall and slender, awkward on long legs and big feet. He had a handsome smile, though, and his face looked attractive when he grinned. "Sup?" Rihards offered him as a greeting, of sorts.

"Sup," the new boy answered as though it _was _an answer. Rihards didn't seem to be expecting anymore than that and smiled. It seemed too brittle, but no one seemed to notice but for me.

Laima guided a slight girl to me. She was young and shy, hiding behind a bushel of copper curls. There was a leaf in her hair, sticking straight out. Reaching over I pulled it out and flipped it around my fingers nervously as the girl looked up, her eyes a little nervous. She spared a glance at Rihards before looking back at me, apparently believing it would be a safer place to focus. My mother was smiling brightly as she squeezed the girl's shoulders gently. "This is Pinja," Laima introduced her. She let the poor girl go and pointed to a shorter boy who looked too young to be part of any pack. "That would be her baby brother Boldev and the taller one is her brother Mikk."

"_The taller one_," Mikk grunted, but he was still smiling. He seemed like a naturally happy person and I smiled in response to that.

Laima continued with introductions. "This is my daughter Velna, or Vel I guess, and he," she directed to Rihards, "is a pup that was brought into our pack by my brother Mihails. Rihards is one of our eldest boys. He and the twins are the same age."

Rihards touched Laima's shoulder and muttered in a voice that was supposed to be a whisper, "I'm going to keep and eye on Vilis." My mother stiffened, but nodded. "Are there others with Gabriels?"

Laima nodded and Rihards smiled to the others. "Excuse me," he muttered, walking into the main lounge. Laima didn't waste any time and waved over another person for me to meet. The new wolves didn't even get a change to ask her what Rihards had meant.

"Paavo, I'd like you to meet my daughter Vel. Paavo's their father," Laima explained with a nod to the younger trio.

I was presented with a large hand. "Hullo," Paavo's voice was gruff, sharp on my ears. I took his hand, trying to return the force of his clasp. My fingers ached painfully when he pulled back.

Paavo didn't waste any time before moving on to another group of people to be introduced to, but it mattered little. I was ushered away from the siblings to a mated couple and their two kids. They were both females, slender with rumpled brown hair. Like all of our kind their eyes were yellow, giving away our abilities to those who knew of us. Their names were Hele and Anu, and for the most part they seemed like well enough people. I wouldn't mind if Bendiks did mate with one of them.

I spoke with Jaan and Kadri for a while. They were Hele and Anu's parents. Kadri was the daughter of Koit, the leader of their pack, and Jaan was a third or fourth cousin to her family. The thought made me a little shy around them. I couldn't imagine actually being in love with a member of my family. I was just lucky, really. The only person who was actually in my family and around my age was Bendiks, and in no way would we ever consider being one another's mates. Thank Meža vīrs for that.

"There's so many of our people," a voice came from my side just after I thought I had wiggled away from the comotion. I looked down to see Pinja standing nervously next to me, her hands fisted in front of her. Her untamed copper hair was brighter than any metal I had ever seen before and looked like a poodle's fur. She didn't look at me, but stared at the others who drifted around to talk with the new comers. "How many are there?"

"Twenty-two in our pack," I answered blankly. "Plus your pack would be thirty one. We're the biggest in Latvia at the moment."

Pinja nodded her head and turned to actually look at me. "Where's the kitchen?" she asked, her voice a little hesitant. "Could I get a drink?"

I could suddenly tell why Pinja was so nervous. All the boys were watching her, even my brother. They kept an eye on the other two as well, but their attention was plainly bothering Pinja. I took her arm, leading her away from the main lounge. There was shifting coming from behind us, someone moving up from their seat, but we were out of the room before anyone could speak against it.

"I'm sorry," Pinja muttered when the kitchen door was shut. She leaned against the marble counter, looking as though she was winded from the short walk to the kitchen. Her friendly, heart shaped face was flushed, the red almost covering a dusting of freckles that sprinkled across her nose.

"It's alright," I assured her and grabbed two water bottles from the double-door refrigerator that held the meals we served the residents. I passed her one after kicking the door shut with my foot. "You look overwhelmed."

"I am," she sighed. I watched her as she pressed the bottle to her pink face and opened my own. With a grumble, Pinja followed suit. "There're too many people. I _never_ liked having a big group. It's just trouble. That was why we had to move from out old location."

"Really?" I set down my bottle, letting it make a ring on the counter. My mother would nag me later for it, but I really didn't care. "What happened?"

"The same thing that happens to us all," Pinja flicked the cap to her bottle and it flew across the room. Neither of us moved to get it. "Humans found out. They hunted us. We were part of the upper class in our pack, so we had more protection. We had a plan if the humans set fire to our homes, but the others didn't. When we were on the run Koit's mate was shot right in the back of the head. I saw her fall, but didn't turn back. My mother did and they got her too."

It must have been horrible hearing her family screams while they tried to escape from a burning building, but even worse to see her mother killed before her. Seeing any member of your family was terrifying when you know they have no air left to breathe. Mama Reggie and Paw Paw didn't loose their lives to humans, but I still would never forget the feeling of complete dread seeing their pale faces.

I took a slow sip from my bottle, thinking something over. "What if I told you there were people we could trust?" I asked, going out on a limb. "What if I told you there were others in the same situation as we are?"

Pinja sucked on her lip, her thin, pale brows pulling together. "I'd believe you," she admitted. "There has to be other beings out there other than the vilkacis and the humans."

I tried not to grin too widely, thinking she may become frightened if she saw too much of my teeth. I leaned in closer to her, just incase there were others listening at the door, and whispered directly to her, "There are and they're closer than you would think."

Pinja's eyes widened, sock obvious on her face. "You're just being mean," she accused. "You want me to believe you just so you and your stupid cousins can laugh at me behind my back."

I shook my head at her accusations. "That's not it at all. The others would kill me if they knew I told you this. My brother and Rihards really don't like the wemptis. They think they're, like, evil or something. Rihards offered to kill them, but I like them." I smiled, admitting that I did like the two wemptis. "One's named Reet. She has a brother named Andrés who paints our pack sometimes. They actually like the wolves. Andrés thinks the change is cool or something and Reet just likes wolves."

There was a sly smile on Pinja's face. "Is Andrés why Rihards wants to kill them?" she asked.

I shrugged, "Maybe, but I think he just wants us to take their territory. They live out by Lïgatne and roam in the town. They actually _converse_ with humans."

Apparently my amazement showed through my face and voice. Pinja snorted. "Being with the humans isn't all that great," she chided. "They're smelly and vulgar. I rather like it out here in the woods alone with the others."

My brow wrinkled. "What do you mean by _vulgar_?"

"Like handsy, you know?" she cupped her breast to explain being groped. "Sometimes you can't even walk down a street without being grabbed. And if not, then they'll pull your hair or at your clothes. They're rude."

I remembered Niko pulling at my dress, Rihards at the souvenir shop and just upstairs, and Ludis and Gab who always tugged at my hair. "Well, I don't think you're going to find—"

"You're keeping one from us," the door opened and Bendiks stood in the frame. He glared at me before flashing a smile at Pinja. "You're Mikk's sister, aren't you? You don't look a thing alike."

Pinja seemed to shrink back a little; back into the shy little girl she had been earlier. Her distress scented the air and I glowered at Bendiks. He ignored me and just continued to stare at Pinja, waiting for an answer.

"Y—yeah," Pinja stuttered, choking her water bottle in her hands. It suddenly caved in on itself and water splattered on the floor. "Oh gosh! I'm sorry, I'll clean it up."

"That's alright," Bendiks stepped forward and Pinja froze, no longer moving to fuss over the water. Bendiks grinned at her. "I'll get it. No fowl."

"And while Bendiks cleans why don't we go talk to my mother about where you'll be sleeping," I offered. Now it was my turn to ignore Bendiks' scowl. Pinja nodded and we left him to clean up the puddle left on the floor.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen

Laima had been warm to Pinja and let her sleep in the lodge me and Bendiks usually shared. I would be bunking with her while Bendiks moved in with her two brothers. I helped Pinja as she set up her bed. My half of the room was plain, navy sheets and a matching pillow case, but hers was bright with color. She had plush pink bed accessories that read _Hello Kitty _and posters were being taped up over the walls. There were several and I even let her put a few on my side. One was plain with a boy in a high school graduate's cap and gown. It read _High School Musical_ at the bottom and the guy was smiling with a thumb up like he was giving the room an okay. There was another that simply stated _Team Edward_, whatever that was supposed to mean, and another that said _OMFG_ and had _Gossip Girl CW_ in cursive under it. The girl in the picture was overly thin with doe eyes the color of a spring sky. I didn't know what any of them meant, but I still helped her put them up.

"Who's that?" I finally asked when she held up a poster with a middle age man standing before a red back drop in a shirt that looked like a checkered board. He had a cowboy hat on and a large silver belt buckle glittered over his black jeans.

Pinja only glanced at it before answering. "It's Garth Brooks."

"Oh," I muttered, still not knowing who she was talking about.

When her room was completely set up, her things put away, we collapsed onto our beds. Pinja began telling me about the train ride to Latvia from Estonia. "I've never been anywhere so smelly," she wrinkled her nose and I laughed. Pinja rested on her elbows and looked at me, lying on her stomach. "What do you think the others are doing?"

I shrugged. "Hunting or chasing tail: what they always do."

Pinja sat up straight. She grabbed a chunk of her hair, playing with the fluffy red cotton. "What do you mean by _chasing tail_?"

I snorted. She couldn't be _that_ blind. "You now, _chase tail_. It's mating season. The guys have been antsy waiting for some more girls to come—"

Pinja had quickly jumped to her feet. "No!" she cried, shaking her head furiously. "No, I just won't!"

I stared at her, a little shocked by her outburst. "Won't what? I'm not making you do anything."

"You're not, but _they_ will." She stabbed her finger in the direction of the main lodge. "Papa or even Mikk will make me choose from your stupid cousins! Koit wanted the upper-class to mate back home, but than the humans came. He'll want us to do it _here too_." She kicked a pillow that had fallen from her bed, making it hit the wall with a thumph. "Hele and Anu are all for having pups, but their older. I'm only fifteen. I don't even think I _like_ anyone."

I had listened to her rent, but I cut in at her last sentence. "What does that mean?"

Pinja glowered at the air, as it was insulting her. "Hele liked a few of the mutts in our old pack, lower boys with pretty faces. Anu fancied them as well and even toyed with a few meat-bags. Even my brothers have had some feeling towards another, but I don't think I even ever had a crush. I mean, yea, there were some good looking boy's back home, but I didn't like them. They were sweet on the eyes, but relationships bother me. I want to run and you can't run with a belly full of pups. You can't even change forms."

I sighed, leaning back on my bed. "Well, at least you can avoid pregnancy."

"Not if Koit demands it!" she snapped. "If he says to mate, I listen. It's wrong but it's true."

"But you can leave," I pointed out. "You can just get up and walk away. You don't have to remain with the pack."

Pinja sank back down to her bed. "I know," he muttered, looking crestfallen. "But where would I go? I have no money for train tickets and food. I could hunt, but what if a human saw me? Then I'll be just like Mama. It's better to stay here, where she wanted me to be."

I sucked on my lip. "You know, maybe you'll like one of the guys. There not all that bad, just juvenile sometimes. My brother seems to like you plenty. Why don't you go talk with them?"

"Than you'd be alone," she murmured, pulling herself back further onto the bed and leaning against the wall. "You're not allowed to go out of the cabins."

I shrugged. "I was alone before you came. Go on. You'll never like them if you don't actually talk with them. Well, talk with them without throwing water all over the floor." Pinja glowered at me, but still laughed like I had intended.

Pinja sighed. "I don't think I'd be brave enough to ever cough without you there," she admitted. "I'm not used to talking to people. My mama Laine would always talk to me or Mikk or Bolev. Bolev never liked being alone, he was the only one not to change for so long, so I'd stay with him while the others were on the hunt. Now that he can change to wolf form he can't hold still for over a minute. It gets so frustrating. There's no one I feel comfortable talking with anymore."

"You seem comfortable enough here with me."

Pinja had bounced on the bed like her butt stuck there. "I know. That is why here is where I will stay!"


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen

Pinja said she would stay with me at first because she was nervous about talking with the boys, but eventually it was to avoid the family as a whole. "I went to get a glass of water and that Zuza woman practically shoved her kid at me," she complained one day. "Kris turned pink, I swear. It's pathetic. He's older than I am. He should be able to control the situation, or at least his mother—"

"I have learned from years in this woods that the woman of our clan are not easily controlled," a voice came from the door. Both of us shut up to star at Toms. He wore a wide smile and held up his hands quickly. "I'm not here to woo anybody, I promise. I'm getting as tired of it as you are. Gab almost attacked me the other day because Anu stumbled into me on the stairs. He's got a fancy for her and staked a claim. I don't think she returns his feelings, however, since the rug wasn't rumpled where she claimed she tripped over it."

I snorted. So the other girls were throwing themselves at the boys. I wondered what all they were throwing the pup's way.

Toms slid into the room, closing the door behind him. "Would you mind showing me where the two of you have been hiding for the past few weeks? I don't think I can take this anymore. Ma and Kadri have become the _bestest of friends_ and chitter to one another about puppies and the lot. Anu _is_ nice, but the thought of mating makes me want to vomit."

That comment made me scowl at him. "Neither of the girls are ugly, Toms. Give them a chance. Both you and Pinja are such shut-ins."  
"You don't want to mate either!" the girl reminded me fiery, forgetting Toms was there to hear her. "Maybe he just doesn't like the thought of half-killing a woman for something he doesn't want to have."

Toms shook his head. "It's not that, though I have thought about it. I just don't want to have children. I don't know if I even _like_ babies, and what's the point? I don't actually like like any of you Estonians. It would be cruel to have a kid in a family where its parents don't like one another."

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Pinja shouted at him, to all of our surprise. She whirled to glower at Toms, snarling crazily. Her eyes sparked with gold embers that sizzled silently. "It worked with my parents!"

Toms looked at her, face smooth. There was only a slight crease in his brow, the single sign that he had heard her. "And what did he do when your mother was killed?" he made bold to ask. I sat silently to watch, seeing Pinja's shoulders droop and her eyes tighten. "He ran, didn't he? Just like you ran."

"What else could I have done?" Pinja asked harshly. "They had guns. I would have died as would we all. Mama wanted me to run. She wanted Papa to as well!"

Toms nodded his head, but his words contradicted her still. "Does it matter? If he loved her, he would have stopped. I can't expect that from you, nothing but a pup, but if he loved her he would have turned when she did. Mates stick together, but your _Papa_ ran."

Pinja's eyes were streaming and she wiped the tears away with her sleeve. "Lovise, Koit's mate, was shot and he didn't turn back. What do you make of that, Mr. Perfect? You think you're so smart just 'cause you're older than me. What do you know? You're just a stupid, obnoxious puppy."

"With seven more years on me then you!" he shot back at her, the frown finally showing on his face. "You're just like those other stuck up bitches! Agh! I can't believe we actually let you come here; it was the biggest mistake, though I expect nothing less from our _parents_. You know what I think? I think that if your family actually loved one another they wouldn't have been so careless to change before a human because they thought it would be _cool_. Your brother wouldn't have gone furry in front of that girl if he actually had someone to love and protect like us!"

The air in the room was suddenly still and cold. We all froze, realizing what had been said. "Who told you about Mikk?" Pinja demanded, her voice wobbling slightly.

Toms regained himself, smoothing out the wrinkles on his face and standing up straight once more. I could only watch the play before my eyes. "Your father. Paavo found it vital for the others to know about the _accident_, so we'd know it wasn't the rest of the pack's fault. That's why Velna's ma wanted Bendiks to stay in Mikk's room. Not 'cause he could do with a friend, but to have and eye on his sorry ass."

"It wasn't his fault!" Pinja was furious and looked it too, even with tears streaming over her blotchy red face. Her nose was red, too, and slick with salt water. "She had told him she was into werewolves. She said it would be cool to see one." She hiccupped, interrupting herself. "Mikk was sweet on her and changed, to impress her. The slut screamed and ran, telling the cops. They didn't believe her, of course, but Mikk got real upset. He—he went to her house—"

"And fucking killed her," Toms snorted. "You think he would have done it if he _really _liked the girl?"

"He was angry!" a sob. "It hurt him and she had always smelt good. I don't know how Mikk managed not to kill her when they were together before, but he couldn't control it."

"Than he had no business being around the fucking humans," Toms grunted. "You're all idiots for letting the young run ragged. We have a fuse like Mikk, but we have the others on Gab at all times just like his father. Now we have to have another on your brother, and possibly the other males in your pack just so there won't be another accident like with Peteris, may Meža vīrs grant him rest."

"We haven't done anything," Pinja sobbed. "We—I've never wanted anything but to run."

"Maybe that's why you're so messed up. More wolf than human, a fucked up freak."

"Get out!" Pinja screamed, grabbing for the closest thing she could wrap her fingers around. It was a small, glass container that held her prayer candle. She hurled it at his head with startling accuracy, but Toms dogged it. There was a thumph as the hard container hit the door, leaving behind a dent, and it shattered on the wooden floor. "Get out!"

Toms didn't waste time, but he didn't run. Silently he opened the door, and silently he left.

Pinja threw herself on her bed, a bigger drama queen than I would have expected from a girl so shy. "I hate him!" she exclaimed, crying into the furry, pink fluff of her pillow. "It wasn't Mikk's fault. He didn't mean too."

I didn't agree with her, but I didn't voice my opinions out loud. It was her brother's fault in the end. He was the one to socialize with the human and willingly show his true self. I didn't say that, however. I couldn't, not when she was in such a fit. Pinja sobbed to herself, her thin body shuttering with the force of her cries. I remained silent on my half of the room. Living with only boys I had never learned how to comfort a sobbing person, even my own mother. When Laima cried, I left her alone.

Pinja lifted her head slightly, pulling her hands up to rest before her face. Knotting her fingers, she began to whisper to herself. I watched as he mouth moved quickly. "What are you doing?"

She only took a moment to answer, finishing the sentence she muttered to herself first. "Praying," she replied before returning to her verses.

I had lain back on my bed, feeling awkward. I didn't know if I should leave or stay. I never prayed, not really. I gave Meža vīrs thanks and that was it. That was all I had ever needed. Then, anyways.


End file.
